“Flurry,” Cadence said calmly as she sat on the edge of the bed, though Flurry had seen Cadence in enough situations to know that she was actually furious, “would you care to explain what’s going on?”
“I unstoned Cozy Glow and am going to reform her through the power of friendship?” It had sounded like a solid plan in her head, but saying it out loud made it sound like she was missing a step or three.
Cadence seemed to agree. “Flurry, that’s… I mean…” She shook her head, unable to find the words. “What were you thinking?”
“I needed to find something for me to do,” Flurry said. “Something only I could do, to play my part. You sang me that. And reforming Cozy Glow is something nopony else has done, and I can do it. I know I can.”
“That… is what I sang,” Shining conceded irritably, “but this isn’t what I meant. I meant you have worth just for being you, the things you do right now do matter, and you’ll find out what you’re meant to do in your own time, even if it takes a while. I mean, I never planned on being a ruler of the Crystal Empire, but I’m here now. And I’m doing a good job.” There was a brief pause, and he glanced over to his wife, and Cadence quickly nodded to confirm this. He looked back towards Flurry and continued. “You’ll find what you’re meant to do, Flurry. I promise.” He inhaled through his teeth. “But Cozy Glow? This is a bad idea.”
“I can do this,” Flurry insisted.
“All you’ve done is act without thinking,” Cadence said as kindly as she could. “What was your plan if she attacked you?”
“She doesn’t have magic,” Flurry defended herself. “I’m faster and stronger than her, anyway.”
“Cozy Glow doesn’t fight that way,” Cadence said gently. “What she lacks in physical strength, she more than makes up for with guile. Every time we’ve faced her, she’s used subtle tricks and mind games to further her own agenda. Flurry, you’re a good young mare, but you’ve never had to deal with somepony who lives and breathes deception like that. I don’t think you’re ready for that kind of fight.”
“I don’t think she’d fight me, though. I really feel like she has a chance to be reformed through friendship,” Flurry repeated.
“And I feel like you’re taking a risk you don’t need to take,” Shining countered. He exhaled. “Look, I get it. Friendship is magic; but some things might be too big for friendship.”
“I bet that’s not what Twilight would say,” Flurry challenged.
“You what?” the Twilight in the mirror shrieked.
Flurry Heart winced. Her father taking her bet right away on what Auntie Twilight would say should probably have been taken as a warning sign to switch tactics, not an invitation to double down and call her on the crystal mirror.
Twilight shook her head and began pacing. “I can’t- you- I mean- Why?” she finally asked.
“Because I think she has a chance through fr-”
Twilight looked at her, and Flurry’s voice trailed off. “And you didn’t think that I, the Princess of Friendship, probably should have been looped in beforehoof?”
Flurry looked down, trying to suppress a grimace.
Twilight shuffled, clearly wishing she was physically there to give her a comforting hug, and tried for damage control. “Look. I understand wanting to help. And it’s not like there isn’t precedent for unstoning.” She lifted her head. “Right, Discord?” she called.
But nothing happened.
“Discord?” Twilight tried again. “Oh, well. But-”
“You aren’t going to, like, summon him or anything?” Flurry asked.
“No,” Twilight said irritably. “If I tried, he’d probably appear in a bathtub and let me tell you, I don’t need to see what he’s using as a bath toy this time.” She shuddered at the memory. “So many tentacles…”
“There’s no need for rudeness,” another voice broke in. “His name is Sam, and he exists in only three dimensions.” Discord’s head emerged from Twilight’s tail. “I have a certificate saying so.” And he held it up, this hand coming from Twilight’s mane.
Twilight rolled her eyes, unconvinced. This probably wasn’t helped by the fact that it looked like the certificate had been written in green crayon.
Discord emerged fully, then turned to Flurry and forced his way out through the mirror. His bushy eyebrows stuck to the glass somehow, stretching as he pushed through, making it look like he had long hair covering his face by the time he got the rest of his body out. “So, you’re the one who made me go all-” and here he wiggled his whole body, giving the impression that he was mostly jello as opposed to solid (which, for Discord, might have actually been the case).
“That was me,” Flurry admitted. Discord terrified her, and she’d learned very quickly that honesty was the best policy with him—mostly because it bored him into finding somepony else to bother. “Are you against it, too?”
“Me?” he said, placing his lion paw against his chest as if taken aback at this accusation. “Oh, my, no. I think it’s a great idea.”
Twilight pointed demonstratively at Discord. “That,” she said firmly, “right there. That should be proof enough that this is not a good idea.”
“Oh, pish posh,” Discord said dismissively. He snapped his fingers, and a pair of green drapes appeared and closed in front of the mirror. “Pay no attention to the mare behind the curtain,” he said airily as they fell to the ground, unnoticed. “I believe in you, because that’s what friends do. I think this will be a great learning experience for everypony.” He straightened up. “And, oh, look at my wrist. Friends also have tea parties to get to. On today’s menu: cucumber sandwiches!” He demonstrated, holding up what appeared to be a cucumber cut lengthwise, stuffed full of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and hay bacon. “A BLT cucumber sandwich, to be exact.”
“Yeah,” Twilight said airily as Flurry quickly pressed a hoof against her own mouth to suppress her gag reflex. “Didn’t need to see that.”
“Oh, everypony’s a critic,” Discord huffed, and he fed himself to the sandwich and vanished.
Shining shook his head. “Well, I mean, that’s one endorsement,” he said. “But…”
And then he paused.
“You’re not seriously thinking…” Cadence started.
“No, no,” Shining said quickly. “I mean, it’s a terrible idea. Nopony’s denying that.”
Flurry gave him a flat look. Apparently, she was just furniture.
“But I mean, if it’s happening, here is the best place. Winter is coming, so it’s not like she can just fly away. She’d be a popsicle in no time. We’d just have to post guards at the train station and she’s as good as stuck here. We don’t have a lot of artifacts here, and the ones we do have are locked up and require alicorn or dark magic, which she doesn’t have. We can keep an eye on her.” He turned to Flurry. “You can keep an eye on her. If you’re sure this is something you want to do, then you need to be 100% on her case, 100% of the time. Anything you do, she does; anything she does, you do. Stay on her like sweet on a crystal berry. Literally all of Equestria depends on it.”
“I can do it,” Flurry asserted.
They looked at Twilight.
Twilight hesitated. “I mean, Discord wouldn’t say that if he didn’t mean it,” she wheedled.
They all looked towards the one with all the real power in the room.
Cadence looked between them and heaved a sigh. “Against my better judgment,” she started guardedly, “I’m going to go along with this, but I’m increasing the guards around here. And around her.” She looked at Flurry. “I’m trusting you, ok?” she said pointedly. “She’s manipulative and controlling, and that cute exterior is nothing but a front. If anything seems wrong, you snap your wings shut and stone her. If you can’t do it for any reason, tell one of us, and we will.”
“I, uh, can’t actually do that spell,” Shining interjected awkwardly. “But I’ll hold her in a shield spell until your mother gets over.”
“And I’ll be in Ponyville,” Twilight added, “but if you call me by mirror or dragonfire, I’ll drop everything and come if you need me.”
Flurry nodded, a smile spreading across her face. She jumped up and gave her mother a hug.
Before long, they emerged from the chambers. Cozy Glow hadn’t moved from her spot. She looked over, her ears raising hopefully.
“Cozy Glow,” Flurry said.
Cozy held her breath.
Flurry smiled. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire.”